There’s a whole lot of upset people today who woke up to an e-mail announcing that Plastc has shut down. The company had aimed to create an all-in-one payment card that would let you store multiple credit and debit cards on one Plastic card, so you could slim down your wallet.

The promises were huge. A swipeable e-ink touch screen, chip and swipe technology, and a 30 day battery life. Never again would consumers have to carry a wallet full of cards, they promised. Plastic would replace them all. But they kept pushing out the promised delivery date; a red flag.

Many online media outlets are saying that backers are out of money. But that isn’t the case if you used a Visa credit card to pay for your pre-order. You can still get your money back through the dispute/chargeback process. It’s as simple as picking up the phone and calling the bank that issued your Visa card.

Here’s the nitty gritty on why you can still initiate a credit card dispute, based on card network. Skip to the bottom for a step-by-step guide on getting your money back:

Visa

You are still within the allowable window to initiate a dispute with your Visa card issuer to get your money back.

According to Chargebacks911, sourced from Visa and confirmed by my bank:

Chargeback Reason Code 30 – Services Not Provided or Merchandise Not Received. The chargeback time limit is calculated based on one of the following:

– 120 calendar days after the transaction processing date– 120 calendar days after the last date the cardholder expected to receive the goods or services (not to exceed 540 days of the transaction processing date)– 120 calendar days after the cardholder realizes the goods or services will not be provided (not to exceed 540 days of the transaction processing date)

The issuer must wait to process the chargeback until 15 calendar days have passed from:

– The transaction date if the a specific delivery date for goods or services was not provided– The date the cardholder attempted to return merchandise that was delivered late

In other words, if you pre-ordered Plastic on or after October 29, 2015, you are still eligible to dispute the charge since you are still within the 540 day window of the transaction processing date (as of the date of this post). And given that the company did not provide the merchandise and last promised a delivery date of Q4 2016 or Q1 2017, you’re also within the 120 days of the last date backers expected to receive the item. Chances of getting a dispute approved and getting your money back is high.

MasterCard

If you used a MasterCard, things get tougher. Their dispute window is narrower. Also from Chargeback911:

Chargeback Reason Code 4853 – Cardholder Dispute, Defective/Not as Described The chargeback time limit is calculated based on one of the following:

– 120 calendar days after the Central Site Business Date– 120 calendar days after the delivery date of the merchandise or services– For payments of interrupted, ongoing services, the maximum time limit is 540 days after the Central Site Business Date

In my opinion, backers who used a MasterCard credit card for their pre-order could argue that Plastic is an ongoing service, as it was promised as a subscription service. But the subscription itself was never started. Please post in the comment section if you were successful in making this argument.

American Express & Discover

While MasterCard holders may have some problems with a dispute in this case, American Express and Discover Card holders are in luck. There doesn’t appear to be a time limit on disputes.

How to get the dispute process started

Step 1: Call your card issuing bank and tell them what happened. Ask to initiate a disputeStep 2: Ask the representative to explain the timeline for resolving a disputeStep 3: Sit back and wait for a follow-up. You may have to sign a form. More likely, you’ll get the money back within 90 days.

Bottom line: always use a credit card for every purchase. The ability to dispute a transaction is one of the biggest benefits of a credit card. Debit cards will not provide the same level of protection.

Additionally, when pre-ordering items like Plastc, always assume you will not get the product. Giving money to a company to develop a product should be treated as a donation.

And for those who keep an eagle eye on which credit card to hold, this situation is a great reminder that Visa, American Express, and Discover have some of the most generous dispute terms.

**Update 6/13/2017: My dispute/chargeback case (Visa) has now closed and I have received a full refund on my purchase.**

The strategy is called a “tax inversion,” in which a company moves its legal base (a domicile) to another country to avoid taxes in their original country. In this case, news broke last Sunday that Burger King is looking to buy the Canadian cafe and restaurant, Tim Hortons, so the company can move its domicile to Canada and avoid U.S. taxes.

While the move makes sense for BK financially and for its shareholders, there’s something distinctly Un-American and unpatriotic about companies completing a tax inversion. A private corporation that was born, raised, and supported by the American public and derived a profit from public benefit (i.e. redeeming food stamps, in this case) has the upmost moral duty to support the communities they serve and to help their country prosper. Doing an end-run around their tax bill is the antithesis of that spirit. Just because they can doesn’t mean they should. As Americans and customers, we should be fighting mad.

Until Burger King officially announces that it is not going to take advantage of the benefits from a tax inversion strategy, the image above of an upside down Burger King crown is displayed in protest. Take it to symbolize the fact that BK management does not deserve to lead an American born-and-raised company.

Update, August 26, 2014 @ 3:30pm Pacific: BK has taken to Facebook and Twitter to say they’re not moving to Canada, per se. And they’re not going to dodge U.S. taxes. Here’s a great breakdown by Yahoo! Finance on how large of a tax bill BK would be dodging.

Part of my goal with 2 Minute Finance is not only to provide personal finance education, but to also stoke a new passion for consumer advocacy in my friends. It’s easy to complain about what companies or the government are doing to consumers. But it’s not so easy to get involved and to create change.

One area of change that’s sorely needed is in the ride sharing industry. As it stands today, municipalities, ride sharing companies, taxis associations, and the insurance industry are all fighting each other for customers. It’s the ride sharing companies vs. everyone else in an attempt to legalize a new form of transportation using old-style regulations.

Trying to find an easy and efficient way to track your money can be a pain in the rear. Most recently, I had to move bill tracking services from Manilla because they were going out of business. But monthly bills represents only one aspect of your personal finances. Just the basics of tracking your money can be daunting to figure out.

You shouldn’t trust others to manage your money for you, you should learn personal financial management skills, and financial advice on cable television networks shouldn’t be headed by everyone.

I was recently interviewed by Mint, the web-based Personal Financial Management service. We touched on a number of topics, but most importantly, I give some insights into why I started 2 Minute Finance and my goals with the blog. Hope you enjoy it.

There’s a new type of debit and credit card that will take the country by storm next year. The hope is to secure our card’s data from thieves. But the way that card issuers are rolling out the technology right now will leave us vulnerable to scammers for the foreseeable future.

Since 2011, all major card issuers (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover) have tried to move American consumer to secured EMV chip cards. These cards store information in a microchip instead of on a magnetic stripe, keeping your card’s data encrypted and safe.

For chip card transaction to go through without a hitch, two things need to happen. First, the data on the chip needs to match what the bank has on file. Second, you have to verify your identity.

And therein lies the problem. In Europe, we would instantly identify (authenticate) ourselves by inserting the card into a reader and entering a 4 to 6-digit PIN number, known as the chip-and-PIN method.

Instead, American card issuers have elected to use the chip-and signature method, at least for the next few years. This requires you to sign a receipt instead of entering your PIN. Meaning, there’s no way of instantly telling the bank that the card you’re using really belongs to you.

Chip-and-signature leaves us vulnerable. Today, hackers steal our card’s data by tampering with the cash register. While chip cards will cut down on that type of theft, what happens if someone steals your physical card? Because of a lack of PIN protection, the thief can still use your card until it’s reported as lost or stolen. Furthermore, if you use your chip card overseas, you will be inconvenienced, as chip-and-signature is not supported at some businesses.

Bottom line, Visa and MasterCard have already start to issue chip cards and need to allow chip-and-PIN processing immediately, not in one to three years. It’s safer for consumers and helps to fight fraud.

Entry-level luxury cars promise to get you into a premium brand car at a not-so-premium price, or do they? We explores this question in our newest BuzzFeed post about the red hot 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250. The answer, might surprise you.

These 6 or 10 voucher packs allow travelers to prepay airfare at a predetermined price, between specific cities for a set number of flights. They’re often called “airline coupon books” and airlines will often offer then on popular short-distance routes.

In this case, JetBlue says you have to buy the book before March 31 for travel thru June 17, 2014, with some blackout dates.

How Do They Work?

Once you buy the vouchers, you can exchange them for a flight ticket up to 90 minutes before a flight. If there’s a seat, you’re on that flight. Each flight equals one voucher, so a round trip (logically) costs two vouchers.

Is it a Good Deal?

Depends who’s asking.

For business travelers who book tickets at the last minute for work, these coupon books are a definite cost saver.

Oftentimes, last minute tickets between San Francisco and Los Angeles, for example, can cost for upwards of $300 or more. With the Bay Area to Long Beach (LA Area) GoPack, you can pay as low as $213.80 for a round-trip ticket (2 vouchers used).

For regular leisure travelers, GoPacks really don’t make sense to purchase if you don’t have an immediate or frequent need to fly. You can often find a better (occasional) last-minute flight deal or a better fare with a minimal amount of advance purchase.

Typically, flights only cost $49-69 on this route if purchased 21-days or more in advance.

Bottom line: While JetBlue does offer these GoPacks on numerous routes, they really don’t make sense for most consumers to buy. They serve a specific need for a specific type of flyer.

Not the actual set of furniture at the center of this lawsuit (Courtesy: Overstock.com)

When is a good deal a great deal at Overstock.com? Apparently, whenever the company wants it to be.

A judge in in Alameda County, California ruled yesterday that Overstock posted misleading “compared at” prices alongside the item’s actual sales price. In other words, the judge found the company intentionally mislead customer to think they were saving more money than they actually were.

The comparison price Overstock used was not based on the average price that other retailers sold the item at recently, which would be too logical and straightforward. Instead, it was based either on highest sales price found in the marketplace or ARPs (advertised reference prices), a fictional formula, Marin County’s District Attorney, also a party to the suit, told a news outlet.

The lawsuit stems from one California consumer’s buying experience with Overstock, where he paid $900 for two patio sets that had a Wal-Mart price tag attached at $247 each. The poor guy overpaid for his two sets of furniture by $406. Ouch. For the deception, Overstock was slapped with a $6.8 million fine.

Bottom Line: Buy with your eyes wide open at discount and outlet retailers, both in-store and online. They’re not always the cheapest place to buy stuff. A deal is not always a deal.

T-Mobile announced today it wants to be your new bank. Sounds odd to you? It should. In a weird “you should really investigate further, but this is still an intriguing service” kind of way. But I’ve done the homework for you and broke it down in an easy to understand way.

This service is best described as a checking account without the checks or the bank.

Deposits are accepted fee-free at in a T-Mobile store, via direct deposit, or through mobile check scanning via their app for free. For a fee, customers can also buy “money packs” at various stores, reload at Visa ReadyLink retailers, or send money via MoneyGram.

Withdrawals can be done at 42,000 in-network ATMs without a fee, however the ATM owner can charge you their own fee. Outside of this network, you’re on your own, fee-wise.

Purchases can be made anywhere Visa is accepted, but you’re subject to the traditional debit card rules/drawbacks and could also be subject to particularly draconian prepaid debit card rules.

T-Mobile is trying to brand itself as the “un-carrier” cell phone carrier. The one that’s “on your side.” As a value-oriented carrier, they know their customers are also value-conscious. By launching a bank account/prepaid card offering, they are targeting customers who are fed up with traditional banks and their fees.

Aditionally, T-Mobile is trying to go after the underbanked and unbanked. Essential, those who have left the traditional banking system or can’t/won’t effectively utilize banks. These are Americans who, typically, spend hundreds on check cashing services or those who simply don’t have a bank account.

The Bankcorp, a Deleware based bank, is not your traditional bank around the corner. They don’t have branches or tellers. Instead, they offer their bank as a platform for others to use (A.K.A. offering non-traditional bank services to affinity partners). They’re the safe holding your money in this situation.

Blackhawk Networks is a subsidiary of Safeway, the second largest supermarket chain in America. They administer all of the services with the card (manage the ATM network, man the customer service hotline, etc…). They’re also the administrators of the program.

In a funny way, you could argue that a grocery store is running a bank for a cell phone carrier. Weird.

Why should I get this?

-You’re the type of person that has very simple banking needs

-You don’t deposit cash often

-You receive a paycheck or government assistance and use check-cashing services (such as Walmart) because…

T-Mobile made an interesting, but not unprecedented, move by offering this banking service. It’s the right service to offer to their customer base, with massive benefits to them and very little downside from a business standpoint. T-Mobile’s only role is to license their name to the service, accept cash deposits in-store, and sell the service.

For consumers though, this may not be a good deal. Although the lack of fees can be a big benefit, the lack of certain consumer protections, actual checks, and a lack of local assistance could be a hindrance. And some of the best features of this account are only available to existing T-Mobile customers.

Full-service checking accounts are still a better overall value for the numerous services they offer. But “Mobile Money by T-Mobile” offers an interesting alternative for a secondary bank account if you’re an existing T-Mobile customer.